Oil Storage Tanks 

of Concrete 


The Atlas 


Portland Cement 


Company 


New York 
Chicago 


Philadelphia 

St. Louis Minneapolis 


Boston 
Des Moines 


Savannah 

Dayton 



















































V 







©C!, A5 1.3805 

Copyright, 1919, by The Atlas Portland Cement Company 

MAR 17 1919 


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Introduction 


T HE engineering profession, after extensively adopting 
reinforced concrete for general purposes, is rapidly 
developing its use for special structures. As these 
developments take place many other materials of construction 
are being replaced. 

One of the latest and most interesting problems that the 
engineer has been called upon to solve is the economical and 
efficient storage of various oils. Reinforced concrete has been 
used for oil tank construction for a number of years. How¬ 
ever, the most rapid development has taken place during the 
past two years. 

Concrete was first used in the oil fields for lining oil storage 
reservoirs. Concrete tanks have now been constructed in 
varied units and have proven successful for either large or 
small capacities. This makes the subject one of interest to the 
large oil producers, refiners and manufacturing industries 
where oil is used either in the process or as fuel. Exact design 
and careful construction are both of great importance in this 
type of tank. A concrete oil tank, properly designed and 
carefully inspected during construction, will give entire 
satisfaction to the owners. 

The Atlas Portland Cement Company has taken a most active 
part in the various stages of concrete oil tank development. 
This brief treatise on the subject has been prepared for distri¬ 
bution among those interested. Realizing the great importance 
of continuing this branch of the concrete industry on a sound 
and lasting basis, it was thought timely to illustrate the book 
with a few plans and pictures representative of the thousands 
of tanks which have been constructed throughout the country. 



View of 182,000 Gallon Tank for Fuel Oil 

Owner: American Brakeshoe and Foundry Company, Erie, Pa. 

Designer and Builder: Con-Oil Tank Company, 1215 Fulton Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. 


Oil Storage Problems Solved by Using 
Reinforced Concrete Tanks 


T HE above picture gives a good idea of the unique design of this tank. The 
ground plan of a tank is generally in the form of a circle, rectangle or square. 
It can be seen that this is a polygon. The picture was taken immediately after 
the removal of forms, and shows the fill started on one side. The tank was finally 
covered with 3 feet of earth. The manhole is seen at the right side of the top 
extending 3 feet above the roof to allow for the earth fill. 

Figure I, at the top of the right-hand page, shows the details of the design. Great 
care was taken in this design to prevent either temperature cracks or cracks due to 
stresses developing in the completed structure. The spread footings for the 10-inch 
walls and columns, the 2x2 columns, the 10-inch floor, the 20-inch floor beams 
and 8-inch roof, all sufficiently reinforced, make this an admirable design for this 
specific location and use. 

The picture on the lower right-hand page shows the interior after the removal of 
forms. The manhole opening and iron ladder can be seen at the right. 

[ Page Two ] 



























Interior View of 182,000 Gallon Underground Tank 


[ Page T/tree ] 



































































Ground View of Two 100,000 Gallon Tanks for Fuel Oil 


Owner: American Can Company, Bridgeport, Conn. 

Designer: R. R. Allison, 268 Maplewood Avenue, Bridgeport, Conn. 

Builder: Schwartz Bros., Bridgeport, Conn. 

A T the Liberty Ordnance Plant of the American Can Company, Bridgeport, 
Conn., the management has planned for 400,000 gallons of oil storage. The 
" general plan for this storage, called for four 100,000 gallon tanks, each tank 
divided into four compartments, thus making separate units of 25,000 gallon capac¬ 
ity. At the present time two of the tanks are completed, giving a total capacity of 
200,000 gallons. The plans are to build the 
other two tanks as the storage facilities are 
required. 

It is a very difficult matter to obtain a photo¬ 
graph which shows to good advantage a com¬ 
pleted underground tank. The above picture 
shows the top of the two completed tanks. The 
small building is the pump house. Six 3-inch 
vent pipes can be seen. The oil gauge is seen 
to the left of the pump house. By comparing 
the picture with Figure A it will be noted that 
the tank in the foreground of the picture is 
Tank No. 1, as plotted in Figure A. Tank 
No. 2 is shown in the right background of the 
picture, being at right angles to Tank No. 1. 

Figure IT shows a longitudinal section taken 
through two compartments. A roof beam 14 
inches wide, 21 inches deep, extends the length 
of the tank, a cross section of which is shown in 
Figure III. This figure also shows the tunnel 
passage which is used for the inlet and suction 
pipes. 

[ Page Four ] 


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Fig A—Plan of 4—100,000 Gallon Tanks 




















It will be noted that a manhole is placed in each compartment. The interior 
surfaces of these tanks have been oilproofed with a coating of Portland cement mortar 
mixed with “Impervite.” The tanks have been tested for some time in actual service 
and have proven entirely successful. 




Figure III—Cross Section 


f Page Five ] 








































































































Concreting Method for Floor Slab of 200,000 Gallon Tank 
Owner: The Pullman Company, Pullman, III. 

Designer and Builder: L. J. Mensch, 138 North La Salle Street, Chicago, III. 


T HE above picture shows the reinforcing in place for the floor slab of one tank 
of 200,000 gallon capacity. It can be seen that the reinforcing rods have been 
placed carefully and a good idea of efficient concreting methods can be ob¬ 
tained from this view. A capacity of 400,000 gallons, two tanks, was required at this 
plant. There are a number of advantages obtained in dividing a tank into compart¬ 
ments. One of the greatest advantages is the effect on the roof design. A shorter roof 
span diminishes the required thickness and also eliminates the use of columns. Aside 
from the structural advantages there is one which sometimes is a necessitv in the use of 
the tank and that is the storage of different kinds of oil. This tank can be used for 
oils of four different gravities, as the four compartments are entirely separated. 

Figure IV, on the right-hand page, shows the design details of floor and sidewalls. 
The 8-inch wall is the outside wall of the tank and the 12-inch wall is a dividing 
wall. Figure V shows a section through two of the tanks or two compartments, 
showing two 12-inch dividing walls. The filling, suction and other pipes are indi¬ 
cated by circles in the center of each tank near the top. It will be mted that the 
floors are sloped to the center and that a 3-foot sump has been provided. It is 
also interesting to note that the top slope of the floor is also used on the sub-grade. 
"This feature of the design cuts down the required quantity of concrete to a great 
extent. The inside surfaces of these tanks were oilproofed with a coating of Iron- 
ite. Concrete construction was chosen for this work because of the great saving in 
cost and the facilities for rapid erection. The tanks have proven invaluable to the 
owners and have given complete satisfaction. 

[ Page Six ] 

















































View Showing Small Construction Plant Required for 200,000 Gallon l ank 


[ Page Seven ] 

























































































Interior View of 30,000 Gallon Tank 


Owner: Erie City Iron Works, Erie, Pa. 

Designer and Builder: Con-Oil Tank Company, 1215 Fulton Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. 


Erie City Iron Works, Erie, Pa. 


fuel oil tanks were recently built for the Erie City Iron 



Works, at Erie, Pa. The picture above is an interior view of one of these tanks. 


This tank was designed to carry a standard gauge railroad track supported on 
the roof slab. This is an interesting feature of concrete oil tank construction, show¬ 
ing that tanks can be placed either in sub-basements of buildings, under plant road- 


This tank was designed to carry a standard gauge railroad track supported on 


ways or in other out-of-the-way places, thereby making available more ground area 
for other manufacturing purposes or storage of materials. 

Figure XI shows a cross section and Figure XII a longitudinal section. It is inter¬ 
esting to note the heavy floor slab, heavy columns and roof beams, all made neces¬ 
sary by the tremendous loading of the locomotives and trains passing over. This is 
a comparatively smail tank. However, the same care was necessary in the design and 
construction as is given the larger tanks. Test pits were dug to determine the bear¬ 
ing value of the soil. 

These tanks have given complete satisfaction to the owners. The design of this tank 
emphasizes the fact that the roof of a concrete tank can be designed to carry any given 
load. This means that future developments, such as new buildings, changes in rail- 

















road siding alignment and all other improvements that take place almost daily in a 
growing manufacturing plant can be planned and carried out without considering 
the location of the concrete oil storage tanks. 

It is a well-known fact that in the past, ground area devoted to oil storage could be 
used for no other purpose. Plant engineers will not fail to agree that this is a great 
advantage of concrete construction. The officials of the Erie City Iron Works have 
put this theory into practice. 




[ Page Nine ] 



































































































20,000 Gallon Fuel Oil Tank Before Removal of Forms 

Owner: American Brakeshoe and Foundry Company, 4616 West 26th Street. Chicago. 
Designer: L. J. Mensch, Chicago. Builder: L. J. Mensch, Chicago. 

Size: 12 x 28x8 feet 6 inches inside. Tank oilproofed q with Ironite. 

DESIGNED TO CARRY 1,000 LBS. PER SQ. FT. FOR STOR¬ 
ING STEEL BARS. OWNERS ARE ENTIRELY SATISFIED. 



View Showing Floor Finishing of 20,000 Gallon Tank 


Owner: Vaughn & Bushnell, 2114 West Carroll Avenue, Chicago. 

Designer: L. J. Mensch, Chicago. Builder: L. J. Mensch, Chicago. 

Dimensions: 9x54x5 feet. Tanks oilproofed with Ironite. Tanks will be 
covered with two feet of earth. Walls 8 inches thick—roof 7 Y /z inches thick. 
Designed to carry 10-ton truck. Owners are completely satisfied. 


[ Page Ten ] 









































Preliminary Report on Fuel Oil Storage 

Inspection Department, Association of Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Companies 

31 Milk Street, Boston, Mass. 


GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 
FOR CONCRETE TANKS 

The general requirements for a successful con¬ 
crete tank for the storage of fuel oil are given 
below, although these should not be considered as 
detailed specifications: 

1. Foundations. The tank should rest upon secure 
footings to guard against settlement. 

2. Reinforcement. Sufficient steel reinforcement 
should be used to resist the oil pressure, and the 
horizontal and vertical reinforcement should be 
properly proportioned and located to reduce the 
shrinkage cracks so that they will he too minute to 
permit leakage. To accomplish this, the fibre stress 
in the steel should not exceed 10,000 lbs. per 
square inch. Some designers use as low as 6,000 to 
8,000 lbs. 

3. Concrete. The concrete for the floor and walls 

should be at least 8 inches thick, mixed in the pro¬ 
portions of 1:2:3, or better, 1:1 :3, and having 

the coarse aggregate of clean, dense, crushed rock 
or gravel, ranging in size from 1 inch down. The 
concrete should be thoroughly mixed, carefully 
placed and worked around the reinforcement. The 
forms should not be held together by wires as is 
frequently done in building construction, because 
leakage is apt to take place along the wire. 

The concrete should he poured in as continuous an 
operation as possible and preferably without any 
interruption, so as to form a monolithic construc¬ 
tion. Where this cannot be done, the bottom 
should be poured without joints, and the walls as 
a second continuous operation. One method of 
making a tight joint between the bottom and the 
walls is by means of a strip of galvanized iron 6 
inches wide, with joints riveted and soldered so as 
to form a continuous band. This strip should be 
vertically imbedded 3 inches in the floor slab and 
projecting 3 inches into the walls about on the 
center line. The floor slab under the walls should 
be thoroughly cleaned, and before pouring the 
walls, a mixture of 1:1 mortar should be placed 


in the bottom of the forms and around the galvan¬ 
ized strip to make a tight joint. 

4. F inish. As soon as the floor has been poured it 
should be “floated'' and troweled smooth. The 
wall forms should be removed as soon as the con¬ 
crete is hard enough to be self-sustaining, and all 
projections and irregularities should be removed 
from the surface, and all cavities filled with a 1 :1 
mortar thoroughly rubbed in and troweled smooth, 
hut no plastering should be applied because it is 
liable to peel off under the action of temperature 
changes. The concrete should be allowed to 
harden and age at least a month, and more if 
possible, before filling the tank with oil, as this will 
greatly increase its oil-tightness. To assist in this 
process and enable the concrete to harden before 
becoming oil-soaked, it is advantageous to apply 
several coats of a 1 to 4 solution of 40 degrees Be. 
sodium silicate, followed by a finish coat of a 1 to 2 
solution. This forms a glazed surface on the con- 
crete^but does not last more than a year, and when 
its purpose of allowing the concrete to harden has 
been fulfilled its presence is no longer necessary. 

5. Cost of Concrete Tanks. Reinforced concrete 
tanks are being today constructed below ground at 
prices ranging from 6 to 10 cents per gallon capacity, 
depending upon the size of the tank and difficulties 
of excavation. Circular tanks are somewhat more 
economical than rectangular ones. Steel tanks 
above ground in the Pittsburgh District are being 
furnished and erected upon foundations for about 
4 cents per gallon. When buried they have to be 
braced inside to resist external pressure and then 
the price rises to about 9 cents per gallon. In other 
parts of the country freight charges will have to be 
added, which will increase the above costs 
accordingly. 

UNLOADING STATION 

One of the most common sources of trouble in 
handling fuel oil is due to accident when unload¬ 
ing from the cars. There are a number of cases 
on record where the valve in the tank car connec¬ 
tion has leaked so badly that when the cap beyond 

[ Page Eleven ] 


the outlet was removed from the outlet the whole 
or a large part of contents of the car escaped upon 
the ground. For this reason, it is extremely impor¬ 
tant that the grade at the unloading station should 
slope away from buildings, lumber piles, etc. The 
best arrangement is to provide a concrete basin 
large enough to catch the contents of an entire 
car should accident occur. This also serves to pro¬ 
tect the ground in the vicinity from becoming oil- 
soaked. The connection for unloading the oil from 
the tank cars should contain a strainer and should 
be made either with a pipe having swinging joints 
or with a flexible metallic hose, avoiding the use 
of rubber hose. 

GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF 

PIPING 

All connections to buried tanks and the filling con¬ 
nection for tanks above ground should be made at 
the top. A vent with a spark arrester should also 
be provided at the top of the tanks. For tanks 
above ground, the outlets are generally connected 
at the bottom w r ith a valve bolted directly to a 
nozzle attached to the tank and with another valve 
located outside the earth levee.* The discharge 
pipe in this case should pass over the top of the 
levee instead of being buried in it. The suction 
pipes from underground tanks should be provided 
with a foot valve and strainer and arranged either 
with a swing joint or provisions for lifting ver¬ 
tically for examination and repairs. All piping 
and fittings should be extra heavy and tested at 150 
lbs. water pressure for two hours. All valves 
should be outside screw-and-voke type, so that their 
positions can be seen at a glance. 

FILLING CONNECTIONS FOR 
SERVICE TANKS 

When underground service tanks are filled from 
the large storage tanks, either by gravity or by 


means of pumps, the filling connection should con¬ 
sist of an open funnel and valve so that no pressure 
could be placed upon the service tanks and through 
them upon the piping in the buildings. 

PUMPS 

For large installations two pumps are advised, with 
the piping so arranged that the pumps can be used 
either independently or together for pumping into 
the storage tanks or out of them. This is desirable 
in case it is necessary to fill the service tanks at the 
same time a car is being unloaded. The pumps 
should be located in a pump house of non-combus¬ 
tible construction. If electrically driven pumps are 
used, the motors should be cut off from the pump 
room by a non-combustible partition and the pumps 
operated by shafts passing through the wall. The 
switches and fuses should all be located in the 
motor room. 

As 16 feet is about the maximum practical lift for 
an oil pump, it is sometimes necessary to use a 
“deep well” type of pump for excessive lifts, with 
the impeller at the lower end of vertical shaft. 

* Tanks Aboy^e Ground. In the case of oil storage tanks 
which are already above ground or which have to be 
located there because of a ledge or other reasons, the 
following safeguards should be provided: 

When the tanks are at a safe distance from buildings, it 
is usually sufficient to surround them by an earth levee, 
large enough to contain one and one-half times the 
capacity of the tank with an allowance for accumulation 
of snow and water. The tanks and levees should be a 
sufficient distance apart so that a fire in any one of them 
would not involve the others. 

When the tanks are above ground and near important 
buildings, they should be surounded by a concrete wall 
and the space between the wall and the tanks filled with 
clean, sound earth deep enough to cover the top of the 
tank about 18 inches or 2 feet. 

C. W. Mowry, 

Engineer and Special Inspector. 


[ Page Twelve ] 



100,000 Gallon Oil Tank 


Owner: Osgood-Bradley Car Company, Worcester, Mass. 
Designer and Builder: Con-Oil Tank Company, 

1215 Fulton Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Tank designed to support railroad track. 

Picture shows Roof Reinforcing Steel in place. 
Concrete Plant mounted on flat car works efficiently. 


[ Page Thirteen ] 





























20,000 Gallon Tank for Light Fuel Oil 
Designed, Built and Owned by the D. & IV. Fuse Company, Providence, R. J. 


T HIS tank was built for the storage of 20,000 gallons of very light fuel oil, 
having about the same gravity as kerosene. A picture of the completed tank is 
shown above. At the far end is seen the pipe chamber. This chamber is 
6x4 feet in plan, and extends from the surface of the ground to the top of the tank 
floor— a distance of 8 feet 11 inches. Both the intake and suction pipes are run 
through the wall between the pipe chamber and tank. The pipe chamber is also 
used for inspecting the tank. Figure VII shows a longitudinal section through one 
end of the tank and the pipe chamber, and Figure VIII shows a cross section of the 
tank. 

The fact that a very light oil was to be stored, made it imperative to devote some 
thought to the proper oilproofing methods to be used. A number of different oil¬ 
proofing materials were experimented with, and tested, after being applied to small 
slabs of concrete and subjected to the action of gasoline. The owners decided to 
use a product for this work which they have themselves developed. Their process 
makes concrete absolutely impervious to the light fuel oil which was to be stored in 
this tank. 

It will be well to bear in mind, when looking over this design, that the underlying 
soil is of a dry, sandy nature and afforded a good, stable foundation, and, there¬ 
fore, the usual spread footings and floor beams were eliminated. 

[ Page Fourteen ] 

































































































Interior View of 150,000 Gallon Tank 


Owner: Steel Car Forge Company, Ellwood City, Pa. 

Designer and Buii.der: Con-Oil Tank Company, 1035 Dime Building, Detroit, Mich. 


T HE above picture is an interior view of a 150,000 gallon fuel oil tank, which 
shows the floor, columns and roof. Figure IX is a half plan, showing the out¬ 
side walls, the 3 foot 6 inch wall footings, the floor slab, the 7 foot square col¬ 
umn footings and the columns spaced 11 feet 6 inches, center to center. 

Figure X is a part section through the tank, showing the wall and column 12 inch 
footings, the 12 inch floor, the 18 inch columns, which have a 4 foot 6 inch square 

[ Page Sixteen ] 








cap, the 10 inch side walls, the 8 inch roof slab, the 2 foot 6 inch square manhole 
2 feet above the roof slab, and the location of the pipe line, as well as details of the 
same. 

The greatest diameter is 46 feet and the inside height 13 feet. 


4 




Figure X—Section Through Tank 


| Page Seventeen ] 






































































Ground View of 25,000 Gallon Gas Oil Tank 


Owner and Designer: Austin Gas Company, Austin, Minn. 
Builder: H.D.McNish. 

Dimensions: 32 x 12 x 9—built in two compartments. 

Kind of Oil Stored: Gas oil. 

Oilproojed with Smooth-On Iron Cement No. 7 . 


Figure VI, on the opposite page, shows a steel manhole frame and 
cover. Under some conditions this type cover is used; however, it 
is far more desirable to use a concrete cover for the reason that con¬ 
crete is fireproof. 


f Page Eighteen ] 



































View Showing 14,600 Gallon Octagonal Tank for Fuel Oil 


Owner: Great Western Smelting and Refining Company, St. Louis, Mo. 
Designer and Builder: Hoejfner & Company, Chicago. 

T HE above photo shows an exterior view 
of an octagonal tank which is 9 feet high. 

The interior is circular and 16 feet 8 
inches in diameter. It is oilproofed with 
Gardner Barada compound. 


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Manhole Frame 


Figure VI 


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[ Page Nineteen ] 












































100,000 Gallon Tank for Fuel Oil 



Interior View of Above Tank 


Owner: General Electric Company, Erie 
Designer and Builder: Con-Oil Tank Company, 1215 Fultoi 


Pa. 

Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. 


( Page Twenty ] 
































Special Features for Consideration in 
Design and Construction 


DESIGN 

HE design of a reinforced concrete oil storage 
tank is a problem which should be solved by a 
competent, concrete designing engineer. The two 
most important features of tank design are the 
foundation and the temperature reinforcing steel. 
It is always necessary to make a thorough investi¬ 
gation of the soil conditions to determine the bear¬ 
ing capacity. A designer is often allowed a choice 
as to the position of the tank, either above or below 
ground. Other things being equal, the under¬ 
ground tank should be selected because of the more 
even temperature maintained, which reduces the 
loss of oil by evaporation to a minimum. It is also 
advisable for the designer to obtain full informa¬ 
tion regarding the probable plant developments, in 
order that the tank can be designed to sustain the 
heaviest loads which these improvements might 
impose upon it. 

CONSTRUCTION 

The construction work should be done by a con¬ 
crete construction company, supervised by an indi¬ 
vidual, who has had a wide experience in concrete 
work calling for exact and careful workmanship. 
If the particular features of the design are not car¬ 
ried out with absolute precision in the actual con¬ 
struction, a failure will surely result. Therefore, 
it is advisable to have the designer inspect the con¬ 
struction as it progresses. 

After the completion of the excavation, the soil 
should be examined by the engineer, before the con¬ 
crete work is started. This gives the engineer an 
opportunity to check up the actual conditions, with 
the estimated conditions, as shown by the test pits 
or borings. 

MATERIALS of CONSTRUCTION 

It is not intended to give a complete specification 
for the materials of construction in this book. 
However, the idea is to emphasize the qualities, 
which have proven of utmost importance in this 
class of construction: 

Cement —All Portland cement used, shall pass the 
standard specifications for Portland cement of the 
American Society for Testing Materials. 

,» • 

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• ) ) ) 


Aggregates —There are three essential tests to be 
made on the fine aggregate: 

1. Sieve analysis, which definitely tells whether 
the sand is well graded or not. 

2. Colorimetric Sand Test, for organic im¬ 
purities. 

3. Test for clay or loam content. 

JVater —The water shall be free from oil, acid, 
strong alkalies or vegetable matter. 

PROPORTIONS 

The materials shall be proportioned so that the 
most dense concrete is obtained. Concrete has 
always been thought of as a mixture of cement, 
sand and pebbles or crushed stone. It has been 
found recently that we have been disregarding one 
of the most important constituents—the water. It 
has been shown by laboratory experiment that a 
concrete, mixed with 7.5 gallons of water (1 cu. 
ft.) to one sack of cement (allowance being made 
for the absorption of aggregate) gave a strength of 
1,670 lbs. per sq. inch. Using 6 gallons of water 
per sack of cement—2,600 lbs. per sq. inch. Using 
5.75 gallons of water per sack of cement—2,770 
lbs. per sq. inch. These results indicate, that when 
a mixture of 1:1 JA :3 is used, the water content 
should be 5)/2 gallons per sack of cement. This 
data will surely emphasize the fact that more care 
should be used in measuring the amount of water. 

PLACING CONCRETE 

The concrete shall be placed continuously, so that a 
monolithic structure results. 

OILPROOFING 

Where oilproofing is necessary, it will be found 
that after the proper material has been chosen, the 
workmanship is of utmost importance. 

CURING 

Fill the tank with water for about 4 weeks; or use 
three or four coats of 1 :4 solution of 40 degrees 
Be. sodium silicate, followed with a finish coat of 
1 :2 solution. 



[ Page Twenty-one ] 


Additional Examples of Reinforced Concrete 

Fuel Oil Tanks 

‘Tanks for Which no Oilproojing Was Used 



FAIRBANKS, MORSE & COMPANY, Beloit, 
W is .—Five 35,000 gallon buried tanks about 
32 x 11 x 12 feet. Designed and built by the 
Manufacturing Department of this company in 
1916 and 1917. Floors and walls 12 inches thick 
of 1 :2:4 concrete, reinforced and poured continu¬ 
ously. No oil-proofing material was used. Tanks 
are filled with Oklahoma oil, ranging from 28 to 
30 degrees Be., and have been satisfactory so far. 

UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COM¬ 
PANY, Swissvale, Pa .—Two 75,000 gallon buried 
concrete tanks 75 x 15 x 9f4 feet, each divided into 
four equal compartments, were designed and built 
by this concern in September, 1917. Bottoms and 
walls are 12 inches thick of 1:2:4 concrete, rein¬ 
forced and poured' continuously. The only oil¬ 
proofing consisted of a surface treatment of one 
to four solution of sodium silicate, painted on the 
surface. So far the tanks have been satisfactory and 
this concern is now erecting two other tanks of the 
same general dimensions, each divided into three 
compartments. 

WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE COM¬ 
PANY, Wilmerding, Pa .—Four 25,000 gallon 
buried tanks about 25x15x9 feet, designed and 
built by the Engineering Department of this com¬ 
pany, in September, 1917. Floors are 15 inches 
thick and walls 10 inches thick of 1 :2 :4 concrete, 
reinforced, with joint between floor and side walls, 
containing galvanized iron strip 6 inches wide. No 
oil-proofing material was used, but inside of tank 
was plastered with 1 :1 mortar troweled smooth. 
I hese tanks are filled with Pennsylvania oil rang¬ 
ing from 28 to 32 degrees Be., and have been 
entirely satisfactory. This concern is now con¬ 
structing six more tanks of the same capacity, mak¬ 
ing a total of 250,000 gallons. 

DESERT POWER AND MILL COMPANY, 
Millers, Nev .—One 145,000 gallon tank, 75 x 25 
x 8 feet, built in 1906. A brief description of this 


tank was given in the Engineering News of July 
4, 1907. The walls and floors are 4 inches 
thick and no special oil-proof treatment was ap¬ 
plied. A recent letter from the Superintendent, to 
the Portland Cement Association, contained the 
statement that there had been no repairs, the 
tank being in good condition, without any leaks 
observable. 

DEWEY PORTLAND CEMENT COM¬ 
PANY, Dewey, Okla .—Two 18,000 gallon tanks, 
built in 1907-1910. These tanks were constructed 
of 1 :1 :\y 2 concrete. No mortar finish was applied 
to the inside of the concrete after the removal of 
the forms, nor was any oil-proofing material used. 
In October, 1917, this concern wrote that “this 
tank is still very satisfactory, and we see no signs 
of weakness whatsoever. This tank is now seven 
years old and seems to be in just as good shape as 
when it was constructed.” 

In addition to the above, there are on record, a 
number of smaller tanks, ranging from five to ten 
thousand gallons, which were constructed without 
any oil-proofing, and which have been satisfactory. 
For example, the El Paso and Southwestern Rail¬ 
road Company, at various places along its system, 
has for the past five years been storing fuel oil of 
24 to 38 degrees Be. in circular concrete tanks 
about 12 feet in diameter by 6 feet deep. The bot¬ 
toms of these tanks are 8 inches thick and the sides 
6 inches thick of 1 :2 :4 concrete. Tanks, that have 
been in use five years, have been examined inside 
and outside, but no signs of leakage were discovered. 

A refining company at Fort Smith, Ark., has two 
rectangular concrete tanks, one 10 x 14x6 feet and 
the other 8 x 10x5 feet, which have been success¬ 
fully used for the storage of oils up to 42 degrees 
Be. for the past seven years. There is nothing 
unusual in the construction of these tanks, except 
that they are made of carefully selected aggregate, 
well mixed and carefully tamped. No oil-proofing 
materials were used. 

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[ Page Twenty-two ] 



The following is a list of some 

of the additional companies 

who conserve oil in concrete storage : 


HEAVY 

OILS 



Associated Oil Company. 


.San Francisco, Cal. 

. . .400,000,000 

Garden City Sugar and Land Company. 


.Garden City, Kan. 

. . . 100,000,000 

Kern Trading and Oil Company. 


. Bakersfield, Cal. 

. . . 37,500,000 

Standard Oil Company. 


. El Segundo, Cal. 

. . . 25,000,000 

General Petroleum Company. 


. Los Angeles, Cal. 

. . . 21,000,000 

American Steel and Wire Company. 


.Worcester, Mass. 

. . . 1,000,000 

North American Refining Company. 


.Sheffield, Mo. 

840,000 

Anadarko Cotton Oil Company. 


Anadarko, Okla. 

573,000 

International Braid Company. 


Providence, R. I. 

400,000 

San Antonio Gas and Electric Company. 


San Antonio, Texas. . . . 

380,000 

Newport Mining Company. 


Carrollville, Wis. 

348,000 

Federal Glass Company. 


Columbus, Ohio . 

300,000 

Peace Dale Manufacturing Company. 


Peace Dale, R. I. 

300,000 

The American Brass Company. 


Company’s Plants . 

220,000 

The Ozark Refining Company. 


Fort Smith, Ark. 

260,000 

Lone Star Brewing Association. 


San Antonio, Texas. 

228,000 

Clearmont Paper Company.. 


Clearmont, N. H. 

215,000 

Illinois Oil Company. 


Rock Island, Ill. 

160,000 

Thomas Plant Shoe Company. 


Roxbury, Mass. 

160,000 

Genckes Spinning Company. 


Pawtucket, R. I. 

150,000 

Oilton Refining Company. 


Oilton, Okla. 

125,000 

W. H. Jameson. 


Corona, Cal. 

110.000 

Davidson County Turnpike Board. 


Nashville, Tenn. 

100,000 

Versailles Sanitary Fibre Company. 


Versailles, Conn. 

72,000 

Packard Motor Car Company. 


Detroit, Mich. 

63,500 

Greenlee Bros. & Co. 


Rockford, Ill. 

63,000 

Winters Cotton Oil Company. 


Winters, Texas. 

50^000 

Shawnee Gas and Electric Company. 


Shawnee, Okla. 

40,000 

Indiana Valley Railway Company. 


Paxton, Cal. 

32,000 

Charles City Gas Company. 


Charles City, Iowa. 

30,000 

foNES & Lamison Machine Company. 


Springfield, Vt. 

30,000 

LIGHT 

OILS 



Imperial Oil Company, Ltd. 


Toronto, Canada . 

228,000 

Muskogee Refining Company. 


Muskogee, Okla. 

225,000 

American Brake Company. 


St. Louis, Mo. 

65,000 

San Antonio Gas & Electric Company. 


San Antonio, Texas. 

40,000 

Moline Oil Company. 


Clinton, Ohio. 

24,000 

T. F. Stroud & Co. 


Omaha, Neb. 

12,000 

OIL 



Union Oil Company of California. 


San Luis Obispo, Cal... 

. . .190,000,000 

Empire Gas and Fuel Company. 


Gainesville, Texas . . . . 

... 15,000,000 

Curtis & Co. 


St. Louis, Mo. 

... 1,500,000 

Newport IIydro-Carbon Company. 


Carrollville, Wis. 

850,000 

Studebaker Corporation. 


Detroit, Mich. 

825,000 

Symington Chicago Corporation. 


Chicago, Ill. 

750,000 

Gorham Manufacturing Company. 


Providence, R. I. 

305,000 

Lonsdales Manufacturing Company. 


Lonsdales, R. I. 

280,000 

Neha Refining Company. 


Lexington, Ky. 

150,000 

Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. 

East Pittsburgh, Pa.... 

125,000 

Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company. 


Stamford, Conn. 

117,000 

Aluminum Castings Company. 


Cleveland, Ohio . 

115,000 

Wei.lman-Seaber-Morgan . 


Cleveland, Ohio . 

103,000 

American Brass Company. 


Columbus, Ohio . 

100,000 

Holtzer-Cabot Electric Company. 


Boston, Mass. 

100,000 

Wallingford Manufacturing Company. 


Wallingford, Vt. 

100,000 

Bonney-Fi.oyd Company. 


Columbus, Ohio . 

90,000 

Shaw-Kendall Engineering Company. 


Lakewood, Ohio . 

88,000 

Valley Forging Company. 


Verona, Pa. 

86,000 

Pittsburgh Seamless Lube Company. 


Beaver Falls, Pa. 

70,000 

Bossert Corporation . 


Utica, N. Y. 

60,000 

Mathews Gravity Carrier Company. 


Ell wood City, Pa. 

27,000 

Neely Nut and Bolt Company. 


Pittsburgh, Pa. 

21,000 



Economy, Pa. 

20,000 

Beaver Rubber Company. 


Providence, R. I. 

10,000 


[ Page Twenty-three ] 































































































































Concrete Tanks for Fuel Oil Storage 


National l ire Protection Association Committee Submits 


Tentative Specifications 


T HE proper construction of concrete tanks for the storage of fuel oil along lines 
that will reduce as much as possible the fire hazard, has been the subject of 
consideration of the Committee of Inflammable Liquids of the National Fire 
Protection Association. The Committee now submits the following tentative speci¬ 
fications for the consideration of its members: 


Setting of Tanks — (a) Tanks, if underground, 
shall be buried, so that the top of the tank will be 
not less than three feet below the surface of the 
ground and below the level of any piping, to which 
the tanks may be connected. 

(b) Tanks shall be set on a firm foundation. 

(r) All tanks shall be provided with a concrete 
or other non-combustible roof. 

Material and Construction of Tanks —( a ) Rein¬ 
forcement —Sufficient steel reinforcement shall be 
used to resist the oil pressure, and the horizontal 
and vertical reinforcement shall be properly propor¬ 
tioned and located to reduce the shrinkage cracks, 
so that they will be too minute to permit leakage. 
The fibre stress in the steel shall not exceed 10,000 
pounds per square inch. ( Note —A fibre stress of 
10,000 pounds per square inch should prevent 
shrinkage cracks, although a number of tanks have 
been designed with a fibre stress of 6,000 to 8,000 
pounds.) 

(b) Concrete —The concrete for floor and walls 
shall be at least 8 inches thick, mixed in the pro¬ 
portion of 1:2:3, or better, 1:1^4:3, and having 
the coarse aggregate of clean, dense, crushed rock or 
gravel, ranging in size from one inch down. The 
concrete shall be thoroughly mixed, carefully 
placed and worked around the reinforcement. The 
forms should not be held together by wire, as is 
frequently done in building construction, because 
leakage is likely to take place along the wire. The 
concrete shall preferably be poured in a continuous 
operation so as to form a monolithic construction. 

(Note —Where this cannot be done, the bottom 
shall be poured without joints, and the walls as a 
second continuous operation. One method of mak¬ 
ing a joint tight, between the bottom of the tank 
and the walls, is by means of a strip of galvanized 
iron 6 inches wide, with joints riveted and sol¬ 
dered, so as to form a continuous band. This strip 
should be vertically embedded 3 inches in the floor 
slab and on the center line of the wall. The floor 
slab under the walls should be thoroughly cleansed, 
and before pouring the walls a mixture of 1:1 mor¬ 
tar should be placed in the bottom of the forms and 
around the galvanized strip to make a tight joint.) 

[ Page Twenty-four ] 


( c ) Finish —As soon as the wall and sides have 
been poured, the floor shall be floated and troweled 
smooth. The wall forms shall be removed as soon 
as the concrete has hardened sufficiently to be self- 
sustaining, and all projections and irregularities 
shall be removed from the surface, and all cavities 
filled with a 1 :1 mortar, thoroughly rubbed in and 
troweled smooth. No plastering shall be applied. 

id) Aging — The concrete shall be allowed to 
harden at least thirty days, and longer if possible. 

(Note —To assist in the setting of the concrete 
before it becomes oil-soaked, it is advantageous to 
use several priming coats of a 1 :4 solution of 40 
degree Be. sodium silicate, followed by a finish coat 
of 1 :2 solution. This forms a glazed surface on 
the concrete, which, although it is not permanent, 
gives the concrete an opportunity to harden, until 
the protection from the silicate of soda is no longer 
necessary.) 

Location of Pipe Connections —All pipe connec¬ 
tions to the tank shall be made through the top. 

Venting of Tanks — (a) Tanks, shall be provided 
with a permanently open vent, or with a combined 
fill and vent fitting, so arranged, that the fill pipe 
cannot be opened without opening the vent pipe. 

(b) Vent openings shall be screened (30x30 
brass mesh or equivalent) and shall provide suffi¬ 
cient area for allowing proper flow of liquid during 
the filling operation. Permanently open vent pipes, 
shall be provided with weather-proof hoods and 
terminate at a point at least 12 feet above the top 
of the fill pipe, and never within less than 3 feet, 
measured horizontally and vertically from any 
window or other building opening. Where a bat¬ 
tery of tanks is installed, vent pipes may be run into 
a main header. Individual vent pipes should, how¬ 
ever, be screened between tank and header, and 
connection to the header should be not less than 
one foot above the level of the top of the highest 
reservoir from which the tanks may be filled. 

(r) Fill pipe shall be screened, and when installed 
in the vicinity of a building, shall not be located 
within 5 feet of any door or other opening and shall 
terminate in a metal box or casting, provided with 
means for locking.” 


10 Reasons Why YOU Should 
Build Oil Tanks of Concrete 

1. ECONOMICAL . In first cost. Cheaper than steel. No mainte¬ 

nance, no painting, no repairing. 

2. Fireproof. Insurance rates not raised on surrounding buildings. 

Low rate on contents of tank. 

3. PERMANENT. Does not deteriorate; lasts forever. 

4. Rapid Construction . Tanks of large capacity built in few 

weeks. 

5. Adaptable. Placed under ground—surface area can be used 

for railroad tracks, storage of materials or other manufac¬ 
turing purposes. 

6. Materials Obtainable. Materials generally near site. Steel 

rods obtained readily, from small rolling mills, at times 
when it is impossible to obtain plate for steel construction. 

7. Unskilled Labor Utilized. Successfully constructed by 

unskilled labor under competent supervision. 

8. Evaporation Reduced . 

9. Efficient. More capacity at same cost, thereby allowing 

greater reserve storage. 

10. Completely Satisfactory. The owner, the designer and the 
builder, derive constant satisfaction from a properly de¬ 
signed, well-built concrete oil storage tank. 

When you build , make Atlas Portland Cement your choice 
“The Standard by which All Makes are Measured” 



















Further Information 

All those interested in the storage of oil can obtain more complete 
information about the construction of Oil Storage Tanks of Concrete 
by consulting in person or by writing 

% 

Technical Department 

The Atlas Portland Cement Company 

30 Broad Street, New York City 

Corn Exchange Bank Building 
Chicago, Illinois 


























